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When Susan was pregnant we heard lots of congratulations, but they were mostly tempered with warnings of sleepless nights, how our lives were over and now the fun would end. We waited for the tantrums of the terrible twos, the mood swings and challenges of teenage years and the destruction of our lives as he took over but they never arrived or, if they did, we didn’t notice.

What nobody ever told us was the sheer unbridled joy and the privilege of bringing another human being into the world and watching him grow. Also came the realisation that during all those years until I became a parent I never fully understood how much my own parents had loved me.

If there was one photo that I would grab if the house was on fire this is it; taken 25 years ago today I look, and was, terrified and proud. Nobody told me what that feeling would be like, how every time I see him or speak to him my heart fills with pleasure, how much I miss seeing him routinely and how he still brings joy.